The Drake women’s soccer team goes in search of its initial victory of the 2013 campaign this weekend hosting South Dakota State and Southeast Missouri State at the Cownie Soccer Complex. It will be Parents' Weekend for the Bulldogs as Drake battles the Jackrabbits on Friday (Sept. 13) at 6:00 p.m. before squaring off versus the Redhawks on Sunday (Sept. 15) at 1:00 p.m.

SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITSSouth Dakota State (2-2-2) comes to the Cownie Soccer Complex this Friday (Sept. 13) riding a four-game unbeaten streak, including a 1-0-1 mark last weekend at home versus Northern Illinois and Nevada. Sophomore Alyssa Brazil paces the Jackrabbits’ attack with a team-high three goals, while senior Caylee Costello has recorded a pair of tallies. Freshman goalkeeper Nicole Inskeep has pulled in 22 saves for South Dakota State en route to recording a 0.77 goals against average and three shutouts.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKSSoutheast Missouri State (0-3-1) is winless in its first four games this season, including a 0-0 double-overtime tie last Friday (Sept. 6) in the Redhawks’ home opener versus Arkansas State. Southeast Missouri State travels to face Illinois State on Friday (Sept. 13) before challenging the Bulldogs. The Redhawks have registered only one goal this fall, that being scored by freshman Natasha Minor. Senior goalkeeper Ashton Aubuchon has stood between the posts for Southeast Missouri State the majority of minutes this year and owns 32 saves and a 2.49 goals against average.

SERIES HISTORYDrake is meeting Southeast Missouri State for the third time in program history with the Bulldogs trailing the all-time series, 0-1-1. The two schools met last season with the Redhawks garnering a 2-1 victory on Aug. 26, 2012.

For the ninth time Drake squares off against South Dakota State. The all-time series falls in favor of the Bulldogs, 5-3-0, with Drake posting a 2-1 road triumph a year ago on Aug. 31, 2012.

THE COACHESSouth Dakota State: Lang Wedemeyer is in his 14th campaign directing the Jackrabbits maintaining a 120-99-30 ledger (.542).Southeast Missouri State: Heather Nelson is in her 15th season at the helm of the Redhawks’ program holding a 137-91-31 record (.589). She is 168-135-36 (.549) in 19 years overall as a head coach.Drake: In her sixth season on the Drake sidelines as head coach is Lindsey Horner, who owns a 43-45-16 record (.490).

DRAKE HEAD COACH LINDSEY HORNERLindsey Horner is in her sixth season leading the Drake women’s soccer program, owning a 43-45-16 record as head coach after serving five seasons (2003-08) as assistant coach for the Bulldogs.

Horner was named to her position on April 10, 2008, becoming only the second head coach for women’s soccer, which began as a varsity sport in 2002.

The Bulldogs had a turnaround campaign in 2012 as Drake posted a 12-5-4 record on the strength of eight shutouts, including a third-place Missouri Valley Conference showing with a 3-1-2 league mark.

The Bulldogs registered a school-record eight straight victories from Aug. 31 through Sept. 22 as part of a nine-game unbeaten streak.

Senior Kelsey Pigg was tabbed an honorable mention All-MVC Scholar-Athlete. Moklestad also was recognized for her academic success being selected by the NSCAA to its Women’s University Scholar All-North/Central Regional First Team.

Drake was one of 74 schools nationwide that was honored with either the Gold, Silver or Bronze version of the Team Ethics Award by the NSCAA.

Horner, a native of West Des Moines, Iowa, was a four-year letterwinner at Kansas, being named the Jayhawks’ most valuable offensive player as a senior in 2000. She was an all-academic Big 12 Conference selection in the spring of 2001 and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree from the school of education, majoring in exercise science with an emphasis in sports management. She earned a master’s degree in adult learning and organizational performance with an emphasis in leadership at Drake.

Horner holds a Premier Coaching Diploma from the NSCAA and an ‘A’ license from USSF.

BULLDOGS BATTLE GREEN BAY TO 1-1 DOUBLE-OVERTIME TIEThe opportunities were there for Drake to garner its first victory of the season, but the Bulldogs were unable to convert on their scoring chances resulting in a 1-1 double-overtime tie with Green Bay on Sunday (Sept. 8) at the Cownie Soccer Complex.

A stellar team save by senior Brittany Schuling (Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar) prevented Green Bay from taking a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute (17:25) on Sydney Born’s shot attempt.

Less than a minute later, Drake (0-4-2) cracked into the scoring column when freshman Rebecca Rodgers (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) delivered her second goal of the year at the 18:10 mark. Rodgers was able to beat her defender and burn a shot past Green Bay goalkeeper Katy Pilarzyk giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Registering the assist on the tally was junior Ashlie Stokes (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North).

Despite being outshot in the initial stanza, 10-8, Drake managed a 5-3 margin in shots on goal and went into the intermission holding a 1-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs appeared on their way to a victory until they unsuccessfully attempted to clear the second cross off a corner kick in the 80th minute (79:01). Heidi Hartmann made Drake pay for the mistake with her first goal of the year, off an assist from Hekla Palmadottir.

Senior Paige Dusek (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) nearly netted the game-winning goal at the 84:00 mark, but Pilarzyk covered up her shot in front of the net for the save.

The Bulldogs collected a pair of shots in both overtime sessions, none closer to a golden goal than a sliding shot in the box by Stokes off a pass from Dusek in the 104:49 mark.

Green Bay won the battle of shots on the afternoon, 21-17, although Drake bettered the Phoenix on net, 7-6.

Stokes finished the tilt with a game-high seven shots, while Dusek and Rodgers contributed five and three shots, respectively, to the Bulldogs’ offensive attack. Junior Andrea Swanson (Clive, Iowa/Valley) recorded four saves for Drake.

DRAKE FALLS TO WYOMING, 5-2On the strength of five first-half goals, Wyoming withstood a stout second-half push by Drake en route to a 5-2 victory past the Bulldogs on Friday (Sept. 6) at the Cownie Soccer Complex.

The Cowgirls registered three goals in a 3:59 span in the game’s initial 12 minutes to assume a commanding 3-0 advantage.

Lucie McDowell extended Wyoming’s lead to 4-0 following her second goal of the evening at the 28:08 mark.

The Cowgirls, who outshot the Bulldogs over the first 45 minutes, 10-4, capped their scoring efforts with a 42nd minute (41:07) tally from Laurel Kramer.

After a very focused halftime address, Drake came out with renewed energy in the second half and capitalized when Rebecca Rodgers collected her first-ever collegiate goal at the 51:07 mark to cut the deficit to 5-1. Rodgers delivered a header past Wyoming goalkeeper Alex Boehm on a play was set up off a strong corner kick from Brittany Schuling.

Senior Paige Dusek netted her team-leading fifth goal of the season converting a penalty kick in the 63rd minute (62:53).

Fueled by a 14-4 advantage in second-half shots, the Bulldogs bettered Wyoming in the affair in shots, 18-14.

Rodgers recorded a game- and career-best eight shots for Drake, while freshman Kayla Armstrong (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) added three shots to the Bulldog’ attack. Andrea Swanson registered a pair of stops for Drake.

DRAKE TIDBITS• Rebecca Rodgers has gotten off to a stellar start to her Drake career scoring a pair of goals this past weekend and ranking second on the squad in goals (2), points (4), shots (15) and shots on goal (5).• The Bulldogs’ offense has been led this season by Paige Dusek and Rebecca Rodgers as the duo has accounted for all seven of Drake’s goals and 32 of the Bulldogs’ 77 shots this fall.• Dusek’s five goals this season match a career high set during her freshman campaign of 2010.• Paige Dusek’s two-goal effort at UC Davis was the first multi-goal performance for a Bulldog since Ashlie Stokes recorded a pair of tallies in a 3-2 win over UMKC last season, and the second of Dusek’s career.• Andrea Swanson’s nine-save effort at Pacific marked the most saves in a game by a Bulldog since senior Kalena Litch (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) made 10 stops versus Creighton on Oct. 11, 2012.• College Sports Madness named Paige Dusek its Madness Women’s Soccer MVC Player of the Week on Sept. 10 after she registered team highs in goals (3), points (6) and shots on goal (3), while playing 196 of a possible 200 minutes in Drake’s two games at Pacific and UC Davis.• Paige Dusek and Megan Fisher were named all-tournament selections at the Pacific Soccer Classic.• Drake’s game versus SIU Edwardsville (Aug. 25) marked the 100th in the head coaching career of Lindsey Horner.• Kalena Litch is Drake’s career leader in saves (317), wins (26) and minutes played (5,483), while ranking second in career shutouts (19).• Seniors Brittany Schuling, Paige Dusek and Generve Charles (Wausau, Wis./Wausau East) are ranked fourth, eighth and ninth, respectively, in career assists (14), goals (11) and goals (9) at Drake.• A double-digit victory campaign for Drake this fall would mark the first time since rolling off four straight 10-win seasons from 2003-06 that the Bulldogs have won 10 or more games in back-to-back years.• The Bulldogs have continued their solid play at home under sixth-year head coach Lindsey Horner, having gone 29-17-5 in her five seasons.• Drake has continued its trend under Horner of playing close games as the Bulldogs have had 72 games in her six seasons as head coach decided by one goal or less, including four of six this season. • Following its 1-0 setback versus Iowa (Aug. 23), Drake owns a 3-8-1 ledger in season openers.

Drake 2, South Dakota State 1 (Aug. 31, 2012)BROOKINGS, S.D. -Ashlie Stokes picked an opportune time to register her third goal of the season as her game-winning tally at the 74:35 mark lifted Drake to a 2-1 victory at South Dakota State.

The Bulldogs began the scoring in the affair in the ninth minute (8:00) when Generve Charles connected on an empty net goal. Earning assists on the tally were senior Laura Moklestad and Rhian Pritchard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley North).

The Jackrabbits netted the equalizer at the 52:33 mark off a goal from Darci Miller. Megan Kingston was credited with the assist.

South Dakota State garnered a 14-9 advantage in shots on the evening, while Charles and Stokes registered four and three shots, respectively, for Drake. Kalena Litch pulled in five saves for the Bulldogs.

ON THIS DATE IN BULLDOG HISTORYThe Bulldogs are playing in only their second games ever on Sept. 13 and Sept. 15, respectively. Drake owns victories in both contests, downing South Dakota, 3-0, on Sept. 13, 2009 and South Dakota State, 3-1, on Sept. 15, 2006.

IN OUR LAST FIVE GAMESThe Bulldogs own a 0-3-2 mark in their last five contests, with three of the five occurring at home. Paige Dusek and Rebecca Rodgers have registered five and two goals, respectively. Dusek leads the team in scoring in that span with 10 points,while Rodgers has added four points and paces Drake with 15 shots. Andrea Swanson has been peppered by 97 shots in that span in goal and has recorded 26 saves.

EXPERIENCED SQUAD RETURNS FOR DRAKEThe Bulldogs return an experienced squad this season as 10 starters and 14 letterwinners are back for a Drake team that finished the 2012 campaign with a 12-5-3 ledger, including 3-1-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Junior Ashlie Stokes paced the Bulldogs with a team-high seven goals last season, while senior Generve Charles added six goals. Senior Brittany Schuling collected a team-best six assists in 2012. Senior goalkeeper Kalena Litch pulled in 94 saves a year ago en route to registering eight shutouts and a 0.91 goals against average.

BULLDOGS TRIO EARNS PRESEASON ALL-MVC ACCOLADESDrake seniors Megan Fisher and Brittany Schuling along with junior Ashlie Stokes were among 13 players tabbed by a vote of the seven Missouri Valley Conference head women’s soccer coaches as All-MVC Preseason first-team selections, the league announced on Aug. 14.

Fisher, a unanimous selection, started all 20 games for Drake as a junior, posting a goal and an assist en route to collecting first-team All-MVC honors. She helped anchor a Drake defensive unit that registered eight shutouts.

Schuling started all 20 games for the Bulldogs, registering two goals and a team-high six assists en route to garnering second-team All-MVC recognition. She finished third on the team in shots (34) and fourth in shots on goal (14) and assisted on three game-winning goals. Schuling ranked second in the MVC in assists (6) and assists per game (0.30).

Starting all 20 games for Drake and leading the Bulldogs in goals (7), points (17), shots (59), shots on goal (29) and game-winners (4) en route to being tabbed a first-team All-MVC selection was Stokes. She was named to the 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Great Lakes Regional third-team squad. Stokes led the MVC in game-winning goals (4), while ranking second in shots (59) and third in shots per game (2.95), points (17), points per contest (0.85), goals (7) and goals per game (0.35).

PRESEASON MVC POLL TABS DRAKE SECONDDrake was picked to finish second in the MVC Coaches Preseason poll with 39 points and one first-place vote. Pegged ahead of the Bulldogs was league favorite Illinois State (47 points). Rounding out the poll were Evansville (33 points), Indiana State (23 points), Missouri State (21 points), Northern Iowa (17 points) and Loyola (16 points).

NATIONALLY SPEAKINGPaige Dusek and Andrea Swanson find themselves nationally-ranked in several NCAA statistical categories when the initial statistical ratings came out on Sept. 9. Dusek is 21st, 44th and 62nd nationally in total goals (5),goals per game (0.833) and total points (10). Swanson is rated 42nd in total saves (30) and 80th in saves per game (5.0).

HOMES GAMES TO BE STREAMED LIVEDrake women’s soccer home games will now be streamed live on GoDrakeBulldogs.com over the True Blue TV platform. The games are shot using a one-camera shoot and will be available on a subscription basis starting as low as $9.95 per month. This subscription also includes access to other Drake streaming events such as volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball and football games.

UP NEXTDrake travels to Charleston, Ill., for a 3:30 p.m. contest on Sept. 20 against Eastern Illinois.